Bleach Continued revised
by Saberhawk
Summary: Bleach continued revised  The War is over and now Ichigo and Rukia both have a decision to make. But when Byakuya decides to marry Rukia off, Ichigo must face a new threat from an unexpected source.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Vacancy**.

Captain-General Yamamoto sat in his chair and watched as the remaining captains of the Gotei 13 came into the room and stood at attention. Yamamoto looked them over with pride. Despite the long Winter War all of the remaining captains of the Gotei 13 had all lived but not without injury. The 11th squad captain Kenpachi Zaraki looked as if the only thing holding him together were the bandages the 4th squad Captain Retsu Unohana had put on him. The rest of his captains had cuts and bruises and Soi Fon had to wear her hair in a single braid because one of her trademark pigtails had been cut off in the final battle.

Yamamoto scanned his captains. "Let us begin the meeting," said Yamamoto loudly tapping the bottom of his staff on the floor. "We have several things I wish to discuss with you before the night is over. The first this is the current status of our military forces."

Captain Ukitake cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Per your order, I have made a complete list of our losses during the Winter War and it isn't good," he started. "Most of our divisions suffered about 50% casualties during the war. The 11th under Captain Zaraki took the worst of it. They are down to about 23% combat effectiveness."

Zaraki snorted and crossed his bandaged arms. "Doesn't mean anything," he said. "We may have taken the hardest hits, but we also inflicted the most damage on Aizen's hollows."

"True," said Ukitake. "But that still doesn't change the fact that right now we are in an extremely vulnerable position. If our enemies knew what shape we are in, then we would not stand much of a chance of repelling them."

Kyōraku looked at Ukitake. "It would seem we are in some trouble," he said. "Let's just hope nothing happens."

"Thank you for your report," said Yamamoto. "This brings me to the second topic, reinforcements and replacements."

Kyōraku looked up at Yamamoto. "I checked on the Academy two days ago to check out the new recruits," he said. "We have some promising students in the upper classes, but it will take some time for them to graduate and then even more time for actual experience."

"How many new Shinigami does the Master say will be ready to join?" asked Yamamoto.

Kyōraku shrugged. "Togo-sensei says that about 100 students will graduate. Not nearly enough to cover our losses."

Ukitake shook his head. "At the current rate of graduation, it will be about 2 years before we have the numbers pre-Winter War," he said. "Unless we allow some of the younger ones to graduate early and just finish their training within the Divisions."

Zaraki grinned. "I like that idea," he said. "It would give me the chance to train them myself and make them better fighters."

"A result of Captain Zaraki training his men like that would also give my new members a chance for on the job training on dealing with combat wounds 24/7," said Unohana.

Zaraki just shrugged his massive shoulders and gave Unohana a grin. "Always willing to do my part to help out your division with their training," said Zaraki. "Wouldn't want the pansies of the 4th to forget how to patch up troops."

Unohana gave a small smile to Zaraki that made the captain feel the small unfamiliar tinge of fear creep down his spine. "I would like it if you would not call my Division pansies," she said. "Or else one day when you are under our care you may wake up to find parts of your anatomy have been moved to places where they do not belong."

Zaraki didn't say anything as he turned his head to face forward. Yamamoto cleared his throat. "I will consider the early graduation later," he said. "For now we will make do with what we have and try to recruit more aggressively in the civilian populous." He looked at his assembled Captains. "The next reason is dealing with the 3 captain vacancies brought on by the deaths of Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen," he said. "Aside from Renji Abarai of Squad 6 do any of you know if your Lieutenants have achieved Bankai?" The Captains just looked at each other and said nothing. Yamamoto shook his head in disappointment. "I will ask you to encourage your Lieutenants and try to get them to learn Bankai as fast as possible. Do any of you have any objections to the promotion of Abarai to captain of Squad 9?" None of the Captains said anything. "Good, we shall now go on to…" Yamamoto stopped talking as the 10th Squad Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stepped forward. "Is there something you wanted to add Captain Hitsugaya?"

Hitsugaya hesitated for a moment. "Sir there is one other person who has achieved Bankai."

"Ohhhh," said Kyōraku. "Did Matsumoto-san finally achieve Bankai?"

"No she hasn't," said Hitsugaya. "I wasn't going to say anything because I gave my word that I would not tell anyone as he requested that his Bankai be kept a secret, but given the circumstances I feel I must break that promise for the good of the Soul Society."

"Yer talken about Ikkaku," said Zaraki suddenly.

Hitsugaya looked at him surprised. "You knew?"

Zaraki snorted. "Of course I knew," he said. "It's not like he could hide it forever."

"Then why did you not say anything earlier Captain Zaraki?" asked Yamamoto.

"Cause Ikkaku didn't want to be a captain. I didn't want to say anythin but since the kid was going to spill anyway I spoke up," he said. "Besides, I was hoping that he would tell me so we could have some fun with a good fight." Zaraki scratched the back of his head. "It still doesn't matter," he said. "I doubt Ikkaku will accept the promotion."

"Then I will speak with 3rd Seat Ikkaku in the morning." said Yamamoto. "He must be made to understand the importance of having Captains to train the next generation of Shinigami."

"If Ikkaku's training style is like that of Captain Zaraki then I think I should double the amount of space in the 4th squad's hospital," said Captain Unohana. Zaraki grinned as he thought of how much fun there would be if his squad and Ikkaku's squad had cross divisional training fights. The sight of a smiling Captain Zaraki made the Captains on either side of take a half step away from him. Unohana seeing his smile sighed. "I'll also double the amount of bandages and pain killers."

Yamamoto let out a small unnoticeable smile. It was good to see his Captains joking with each other. It was a sign that their morale was high. "We have one more spot to fill," he said. "To this end we come to the final item I wished to discuss. I want to offer the position of Captain to Kurosaki Ichigo."

As he expected none of his Captains protested his announcement nor did they look surprised. Ukitake stepped forward. "I'm sure I speak for the others when I say that it would be an honor for us to fight by the side of Kurosaki Ichigo."

Zaraki cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Oh this is going to be fun," he said almost to himself. "I can't wait to get that rematch with him."

Unohana sighed again and looked at Yamamoto. "I insist on a bigger facility for my hospital if you continue to give Captain Zaraki such wonderful gifts."

Byakuya cleared his throat. "I doubt that the boy will be willing to become a captain," he said. "He does not respond to authority very well and is abrasive. He will not fit in with the standards that we have for being a Captain." Yamamoto arched an eyebrow and gestured towards his fellow Captains. Zaraki was picking his nose, Kyōraku was sipping sake from a bottle and was on his way to getting drunk, Kurotsuchi was talking to Ukitake from behind his mask, and Soi Fong was sneaking looks of picture of Yoruichi. Byakuya sighed. "I withdraw that last part."

"Then it is decided that we will offer the post of Captain of 3rd Squad to Kurosaki Ichigo," he said in a booming voice. "I officially put forth the recommendation. All those in favor?" All the captains raised their hands. Yamamoto nodded. He was pleased with the outcome. He looked at Ukitake. "In three days I want you to go and offer Ichigo the position of Captain," he said. "That should be time enough to get ourselves reorganized."

Ukitake nodded the raised his hand. "I have a request to make," he said. "It concerns my Division." Yamamoto nodded for Ukitake to continue. "I have been without a Lieutenant for some time now and I wish to rectify that by promoting Rukia Kuchiki to the rank of Lieutenant effective immediately."

Byakuya stepped forward. "I must ask that this request be denied," he said. "Rukia is not of sufficient strength to take on the role."

"With all due respect to Captain Byakuya's opinion," said Ukitake. "Rukia is more than capable." Ukitake looked pointedly at Byakuya. "She has defeated many enemies, stood toe to toe with the Espada, and has grown everyday in power and ability. She is far stronger than any seated officer I have and would be able to pass on her experience to them when we train."

Byakuya looked at Yamamoto. "As head of the Kuchiki Clan I refuse to allow this promotion to happen."

Ukitake turned his attention to Yamamoto as well. "You say we need to give our new recruits the best training possible," he said. "Rukia is the best chance I have at training these men to survive and grow."

Yamamoto stroked his beard as he thought. "You make a good point Captain Ukitake," he said. "Request approved. Rukia Kuchiki is now made Lieutenant of Squad 13." Ukitake smiled and bowed his thanks to the General. He looked over at Byakuya. Byakuya's face was a stoic mask that betrayed nothing on how he felt about the current situation. Yamamoto stood up. "This meeting is adjourned," he said. "Captain Kuchiki and Captain Zaraki will send their subordinates to see me in the morning. Dismissed!"

Ukitake walked over to Byakuya before he could leave. "I'm surprised you gave up so easily," he said. "I expected you to continue to fight Rukia's promotion."

Byakuya inclined his head. "I did not see a reason to continue in light of the fact the General had already decided in your favor," he said evenly. "I do not approve of this new event, but for now this is nothing I can do."

Ukitake gave Byakuya a smile. "Don't worry about her," he said. "Rukia will be fine. She's stronger than you know."

Byakuya turned around and walked away from Ukitake without saying another word. Ukitake sighed and scratched the back of his head. Kyōraku came up and stood next to Ukitake. "He seemed to take that rather well," he said.

Ukitake bit his thumb nail. "That's what worries me," he said. "He put up minimal protest. He's up to something; Byakuya doesn't give up that easily."

Kyōraku shrugged. "Maybe," he said. "But for now let's not think about it. A new drinking place opened up and I hear they have the best Sake in town."

Ukitake looked his friend up and down and saw that he was halfway drunk already. "Might as well," he sighed. "Someone is going to have to drag your drunken ass home."

Kyōraku smiled. "What are friends for eh?"

Ukitake followed Kyōraku to the bar, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that Byakuya had one more trick up his sleeve, and he wasn't going to like it. Not one bit.

Elsewhere:

He walked into the Bar and looked around at some of the people that were inside gauging who looked to be the strongest among the gathered fighters. His name was Mako and he was the son of one of the Four Noble Families. He was here for one reason. He saw a couple of big men sitting at a bar drinking and sauntered up to the bar and sat next to them. "Buy you a drink," he said more of a statement than a question.

The man looked Mako up and down and snorted unimpressed. Mako was a rather rotund man with little in way of muscle and was not in the least imposing. "Depends," said one of the men.

Mako tried to look tough but failed somewhat. "Depends on what?" he asked in a slightly haughty tone.

"Depends on who you want me to kill and how much you're willing to pay," he said. "If I like what I hear, then you can buy me the drink."

Mako hid his surprise. "What makes you think I want you to kill somebody?" he asked.

The man sneered at Mako. "The only reason some high and mighty noble comes here is when they want someone to off a relative or a rival," he said. "So who is it and how much?"

Mako mentally shrugged and leaned next to the man's ear and whispered. "I will pay you 1 million to kill Byakuya Kuchiki," he said.

The man blanched and jerked away from Mako. "You want me to kill Byakuya Kuchiki," he asked in disbelief. Mako nodded. The man's face split into a grin and he laughed loudly causing everyone else to turn and look at them. "Hey guys," he yelled to the crowd. "This guy wants to pay a million yen to kill Byakuya Kuchiki."

Mako looked around in panic as the crowd turned their eyes on him. For a moment he thought he was a dead man until they all burst into laughter and began to jeer at him.

"Hey Toyonaka," said one of the men in the crowd. "Maybe he would like you to kill General Yamamoto while you're at it."

As the crowd continued to laugh, Mako turned to Toyonaka. "What in the meaning of this?"

Toyonaka just shook his head. "There isn't a soul alive in all of Soul Society willing to take on that job," he said. "You might as well ask someone to take on all 13 Captains at the same time."

Mako's face turned red from anger as people continued to laugh. "I will not stand here and be insulted by the likes of you."

Toyonaka gave Mako a mock bow. "Oh I'm terribly sorry," he said sarcastically. He picked up a glass. "To make it up to you, drinks are on me." Toyonaka poured his sake on top of Mako's head as the crowd roared with laughter.

Mako wiped the sake from his eyes and went for his Zanpakuto. Toyonaka saw him reach for it and faster than Mako thought possible, Toyonaka's blade was at his throat. "I would think twice before you do that," he said. "Now why don't you run home and cry to your father."

Mako sputtered as he walked away in shame. He was coming up with ways to get revenge on the men in the bar when as he started walking out when he heard the sound of a chair being pushed out. He looked and saw three people sitting at a table in a darkened part of the bar. They wore cloaks that hid their faces, but the gesture for him to sit was unmistakable. Cautiously he walked over and sat down. The one in the middle leaned forward. "I'm going to get to the point," he said in accented Japanese. "I heard what you said and I would like to take you up on that offer."

Mako arched an eyebrow. "You don't share in your friend's opinion?" he asked.

The man nodded towards the others at the bar. "They are weak and are afraid," he said. "My friends and I on the other hand are not."

Mako looked at the three people before him. The one on the right was a large man, bigger than the speaker in comparison and he could see a long black braid coming out from the hood. The one of the speakers left was obviously a woman. He couldn't make out her features, but she seemed to be on the petite side. He turned back to the speaker. "How soon can you kill him?" he asked.

The Leader shrugged. "We will need time and a place to prepare," he said. "We should be able to kill him in a few days."

Mako thought about it. "That should be sufficient," he said. "You will be paid the moment he is dead."

The girl leaned forward and spoke for the first time. "And how do we know you will pay us once he is dead?" she asked.

Mako gave her a hurt look. "My word," he said. "Along with the word of my honorable father."

"If your father had any honor he wouldn't need to hire assassins to take care of his dirty work," she said. "So your "word" and "honor" don't mean much."

Upon hearing the insult of his word and his father's honor Mako reached for his Zanpakutō, but before he could pull it from the scabbard the leader interjected. "Now none of that," he said. He looked at his female companion. "You will show respect to a noble," he told her. She nodded glumly. He turned back to Mako. "I apologize for her comments," he said. "She has had little contact with nobility and does not know that a noble's word is their bond."

Mako let go of his Zanpakutō and nodded. "I accept your apology," he said. "I will pay you a quarter of the amount now and the rest when Byakuya is dead."

The leader nodded. "That will be more than sufficient," he said. The big man on his right tapped him on the arm and pointed back into the main part of the bar. Two men had walked in and where looking everywhere but at them. The leader nodded. The men where purposely avoiding looking in their direction. "It would seem we have someone who is interested in us."

Mako looked behind him. "How do you know?" he asked.

"I can tell when I see another assassin," he said. He looked to Mako. "How long have you been looking for someone to kill Kuchiki for you?"

"Several weeks now," he said. "Why do you ask?"

The Leader nodded to his companions who got up and started walking towards the door. "Seems someone heard you where trying to kill a noble and they took offense to that," he said. "Looks like they decided to hit you first." He grabbed Mako by the arm and lead him outside. His two companions had vanished into the night as Mako and the leader walked down an alley.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Mako.

"Somewhere safe," said the leader looking around him. As they came to the end of the alley a man dressed in all black blocked the exit. The leader stopped and stepped in front of Mako. "Anything I can help you with?"

The man pulled out a sword and started to walk into the alley. Mako turned to run when, but another one had gotten behind him. He looked at the leader. "Where are your companions?" he asked.

The leader snapped his fingers and silently his friends came behind the two assassins and snapped their necks. Dusting her hands off the female assassin walked over to them. "We got the other two that were waiting in case these guys failed," she said. "We looked them over for papers or anything that would tell us who they were and who sent them, but we found nothing."

The leader nodded at one of the corpses. "What about them?" he asked. The big assassin frisked each body and silently shook his head. "Not unexpected," muttered the leader. He turned back to Mako. "It would seem someone is trying to kill you," he said.

Mako nodded. "It has to be Byakuya," he said. "He found out we want to kill him so he sent his assassins first."

"I doubt that," said the leader. "From what I know of the man, he would kill you personally. Someone else wants you dead."

"But who?" asked Mako.

The leader thought for a moment. "Why don't we take you home and speak to your father," he said. "We can offer our services as a bodyguard until we find out."

"What about Kuchiki?" asked Mako.

"I think you should find out who wants to kill you first before you try to start another fight," he said. "You can't win a war on two fronts."

Mako nodded. "Very well," he said. "I will allow you to escort me to my home and meet with my father."

The leader nodded to his two companions. "Start taking him home," he said. "I'm going to make sure we didn't miss anybody else. His companions nodded and began to lead Mako away.

Once they were gone the one of the assassins got up rubbing his neck. "Did they have to be so hard?" he asked.

The leader nodded. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Get back and report to the captain that we have infiltrated Akashiya's home. I'll report back when I have the information I want."

The assassin nodded and flashed stepped away. The leader smiled and began walking after Mako.


	2. Chapter 2

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo not me. Which is too bad because it would be fun if I did.

Chapter 2: You want me to do WHAT?

Isshin Kurosaki smiled too himself as he peeked into Ichigo's room. As he suspected Ichigo was still asleep and completely unaware of what was about to happen. With a grin he turned to his two daughters Yuzu and Karin. "Are you two ready?"

"Are you sure we should do this to Ichi-nee?" asked Yuzu.

"Yes we should now let's get this over with." said Karin.

Isshin looked back at her with a stupid grin on his face. "I'm so happy that you have finally decided to take an intrest in your brother's love life with me. Give your father a hu…"

Karin punched her father in the face knocking him to the ground. "I'm only doing this because you promisied to buy me a new soccer ball."

Isshin shoved a piece of tissue up his nose to stop the bleeding and jumped up. "Ok," he said. "Operation Get Rukia knocked up by Ichigo now begins!"

Karin rolled her eyes as she and her sister walked down stairs and began the normal routine of the morning. "Why can't we just have a normal family for once?" she asked.

Yuzu just grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "Look on the bright side," she said. "At least it's never boring around here."

Isshin tried to contain his grin as he quietly stood in front of Ichigo's room. He had been planning this for several weeks now. He had read book after book and called every friend he knew on the subject of match making. Now all of his planning and scheming came down to this one shot. Isshin slowly opened the door and walked in. With the big stupid grin he climbed up on top of Ichigos desk, took a deep breath bracing himself for the pain he knew he was about to endure and….

"**GOOD MORNING ICHIGOOOOOOO**!" yelled Isshin Kurosaki flying at his son in a massive elbow drop. Ichigo woke up immediately and brought his knees up to his chest. Isshin couldn't stop his momentim and the next sound that was heard in the house was the cracking of ribs. Isshin rolled off Ichigo's knees, "Very good my son you have blocked my flying elbow drop of doom I have nothing left to teach you."

Ichigo looked down at his father with disgust and kicked him in the sore ribs. "How many times do I have to tell you that you should not wake your son up like that old man?" Isshin groaned with pain as his son stepped on him and walked downstairs. Ichigo scratched his head as he walked over to the table and sat down to the smell of eggs and toast.

"Good morning Ichi-nee," said Yuzu from the kitchen scrambling eggs. Yuzu saw the scowl on her brother's face and frowned. "What's wrong? Did you not sleep well?"

"Of course he did," said Karin from the sofa not looking up from the TV. "It's when dad wakes him up that pisses him off in the morning."

"I swear one of these days I'm going to kill that old man," said Ichigo scratching his head. "Maybe I should tie him up at night."

"Do you want anything to eat?" asked Yuzu as she put some toast and eggs on a plate.

Ichigo nodded his head and Yuzu sat the plate down in front of him. Ichigo stabbed his eggs with the fork but before he could take a bite, Isshin swoop from out of no where and kicked him out of his chair and on to the floor.

"Lazy boys who sleep in all day don't get any food," said Isshin standing with one foot on Ichigo pointing his finger down at him. "To eat one must be up early and ready to do a hard day's work."

Ichigo grabbed his father's leg and flung him off. Before Isshin could move, Ichigo got up and kicked his father across the room. "Blast you old man," he yelled. "First you wake me up by attacking me, and now you won't even let me eat breakfast in peace." Isshin got up and tackled Ichigo and the two of them started to roll around on the ground exchanging kicks and punches.

Rukia walked down the stairs and sat down at the table and began to eat Ichigo's food. "They at it again?" she asked munching on some toast.

Karin flipped the channel and nodded her head. "They should stop as soon as Ichi sees that you are eating his food," she said in a board voice. "They should really grow up."

Rukia nodded her head in agreement and looked at the time. "Is my Chappy cartoon on yet?" she asked. "I set my alarm clock so I wouldn't miss it."

"Sorry," said Karin. "They are having a classic movie special called Prince of Space right now so they canceled it for the day."

Rukia stabbed at the eggs pretending it was the network executive that had decided not to air Chappy. "How could they do something like…?" she mumbled. "Maybe I should go over there and..."

"Oi midget that was my breakfast," yelled Ichigo as he held his father in a headlock. "Put that down."

Rukia gave him a wicked grin as she ate the last of the food. "Sorry strawberry, you should have eaten it faster," she said sticking out her tongue and pulling down the skin under her eye. "Maybe that will teach you not to waste time in the mornings."

Ichigo punched his father in the face and tossed him away. "Why I ouata…" he began as he started to stalk towards the irritating shinigami. "I'm going to punt you back to the Soul Society."

Before he could get to her, Isshin jumped up. "Ichigo," yelled Isshin. "I thought I raised you better than that. You never threaten a woman. Now apologize to poor Rukia-chan."

Ichigo gave his father an incredulous look. "Apologize to the midget?" he said. "You're kidding me right?"

Rukia pulled out a tissue and wiped her eyes. "It's alright Isshin-san. Even though he calls me names and is mean to me it's not your fault it just… just…" Rukia got up from her chair and ran upstairs crying.

Ichigo palmed his face as Isshin got teary eyed and ran over to the oversized picture of his wife. "I'm sorry Masaki. I have tried my best, but I have raised a no good son who threatens women and doesn't apologize when he insults them," he wailed. "But it would seem that I have failed in my duty as a father. Please forgive me."

Ichigo's right eye started to twitch. _I can't believe that they keep falling for her acting. I'm so going to get her for this.,_ thought Ichigo as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Whatever I'm going back to my room," said Ichigo.

As he turned to leave, Isshin stepped in front of him. "Ichigo you must apologize to poor Rukia," he said in a firm voice. "To show your sincerity, I order you to take her to a movie, get her something nice to eat, and buy her a gift."

Ichigo pushed past his father. "There is no way I am spending any money on the midget," he said. "So just drop it."

Isshin resisted the urge to rub his hands together. Ichigo had fallen right into his trap. He turned and winked at his daughters and ran over to Ichigo and put his arm around his shoulders. "I'm afraid it's true then my son," said Isshin sadly. "I didn't want to believe the rumors, but the evidence before me can't be ignored."

"What's true?" asked Ichigo confused. "What the hell are you talking about old man?"

"The fact that you are mean to women and that in all the time Rukia-chan has been here you haven't once asked her on a date or even put the moves on her can mean only one thing. You are gay," said Isshin sadly.

Ichigo pushed his father off of him. "For the last freaking time I am not gay!"

"Sorry Ichi-nii," said Karin looking up from the sofa. "But I'm starting to agree with the old man." Ichigo looked at his sister completely shocked. "I mean you hang around with hot girls like Tatski, Inoue, and Rukia, but you never go out on dates with them despite the fact they are all super hot women that any sane man would date in a heartbeat."

"That's not true Karin," said Yuzu. "Oni-chan goes out all the time with Chad, Ishida, and Renji… hmmm."

Ichigo hung his head. "I can't believe you actually buy this garbage."

Karin shrugged and turned back to the TV. "Sorry, but all the signs point to you being gay."

As Ichigo stared at his sister, Isshin sighed and patted Ichigo on the back. "It's alright son, we accept you for what you are. I'm sure that one day you will find that spec…"

Before Isshin could finish Ichigo balled up his fist and grabbed his father's shirt. "Shut up already," yelled Ichigo punching his father in the jaw. "I'm not gay and I'll prove it." Ichigo picked up his wallet and walked up stairs to the door of the room that the girls shared. He was about to knock but he hesitated for a moment. He really didn't want to do this, but if he didn't then his father would never let him hear the end of it. Taking a deep breath Ichigo opened the door and walked in.

Rukia looked up from the bed she was laying on reading a romance novel and chewing on a Pocky. "You should knock before you enter a ladies room," she said. "What do you want?"

"I'm taking you out on a date so get up and let's go," he replied putting his hands on his hips. "I want to be gone in 15 minutes so hurry up."

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think I want to go on a date with you," she asked. "Especially since you _demanded_ I go with you instead of asking nicely."

"You don't get a choice in the matter midget," said Ichigo starting to get annoyed. "Now get up and let's go so I can shut my father up about him thinking I'm gay."

Rukia glared at him for a second then flipped him off and turned back to her book. Ichigo waited a few seconds then walked over and to her surprise picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "Put me down right now Ichigo!" she yelled punching him in the back.

Ichigo walked down stairs ignoring her yells and punches. "Me and Rukia are going out we'll be home later."

"I'm not going anywhere with you now put me down now or else!" said Rukia. "I swear Kurosaki I'm going to stab you if you don't put me down."

Isshin opened the front door as Ichigo walked out. "Rukia make sure he treats you to a nice day and if he doesn't, then tell me and we will have a talk." Rukia shot him a glare and pulled her finger across her throat which Isshin ignored. "Have fun son and if Rukia-chan ends up knocked up you will make me so…. Owwwww!" Just as Isshin was about to finish his sentence Ichigo bent over and picked up a rock and threw it at his dad hitting him right in the head.

"Shut up you perverted old geezer." Ichigo walked off with a fuming Rukia over his shoulder. Yuzu and Karin came to the door and waved goodbye as Isshin pulled himself off the ground. "Ah Ichigo my son, you are so easy to fool around with." Isshin turned to his daughters. "My plan worked just as I hoped."

"Grreeaaat," said Karin. "Now let's go get my soccer ball."

Isshin looked down at his daughter and grinned. "Of course," he said. "And maybe if we're lucky we can find a guy for you to ravage." Isshin leaned down and wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe that nice white haired boy would be willing to..."

A blushing Karin punched her father in the face knocking him to the ground. She bent down and took his wallet out of his pocket. "Forget it," she said kicking her father in the gut. "I'll get it myself. Come on Yuzu."

Yuzu looked at her father and back at Karin shrugged and followed her sister to the store. Isshin smiled as he clinched his most likely now broken ribs. "They grow up so fast," he said wincing in pain. "Don't worry Masaki, I'll have you those grand kids yet."

Lord Akashiya stroked his long white beard as his black eyes watched his son escort three people into his home. He had gotten the report from Mako about how they had saved his life from assassins and how he felt they needed them to track down who had sent them. Akashiya hid his frown, the fact they were there to save his son was fortunate…too fortunate. Akashiya had grown up in the world of political intrigue and backstabbing. If he had learned one thing in his many years of being at the top of the political food chain, is that you never trust fate or serendipity, and always look a gift horse in the mouth. That's why when he was informed that these three where coming he had his guards hide in the room so if a problem happened, they would be there to stop them. That didn't mean you ignored a possible tool in front of you. Akashiya pasted a smile on his face and rose from the chair he was sitting on. "Welcome to my home," he said. "I would like to thank you for saving my sons life." Akashiya clapped his hands once and several women came out and began to set a long table with various foods. Akashiya gestured for his guests to sit. "Please have a seat and eat your fill." The Leader eyed the room suspiciously and nodded to his two guards. Before Akashiya had time to blink, all of his highly trained guards where laying on the ground out cold. Akashiya raised an eyebrow. "Impressive," he said. "I trust you had a reason for dispatching my guards."

The leader nodded and sat down. "Just to prove a point," he said. "If I wanted to kill you, then you would be dead right now." He picked up one of the plates and flung it towards a curtain striking a guard that was hiding behind it in the head knocking him out. "It would seem your lacking in personal security."

Akashiya smiled. "If you wanted to prove a point you did a magnificent job of it," he said. "Now tell me, what do you want?"

The leader crossed his arms. "Employment," he said. "Your son wanted us to be assassins, but with the recent attacks on him and the pathetic lack of security in your own home I would think you would want some bodyguards now." He picked up a cup and took a sip and grimaced. "Right now you don't need an assassin," he said. "You need someone who can protect you and find out who is trying to kill you. My men and I can do both of those things. Once the threat to your life has been dealt with then we perform the assassination."

Akashiya frowned as he watched his guards pick themselves off the ground. As much as he wanted to reject the offer, it would seem he needed the added protection. This didn't mean he trusted them, but the fact they had not killed him meant that at the very least they did not desire his life at the moment. "Agreed," he said. "You will be my personal bodyguard and your two companions will guard Mako." Akashiya took a drink and held it up in a toast. "I thank you for your help," he said. "To our success."

The leader raised his glass and drained the small dish and set it down. "If you don't mind," he started. "We need a place to live while we are at your home."

Akashiya nodded and clapped his hands once. A rather malnourished looking girl walked in. "Show them the guest room and be quick about it or I'll cut your food off again," threatened Akashiya.

The Leader looked at his female companion and saw her grip on the pommel of her Zanpakuto tightened. He knew that she hated to see women abused like this, but she would restrain herself…for now. The leader got up. "Thank you," he said.

Akashiya held up a hand. "One more thing," he said. "What do I call you?"

The leader thought for a moment. "You may call me Delta," he said. "The big guy is Beta and the girl is Zeta."

Akashiya nodded. "Thank you," he said. He gestured to the girl and she opened the door. "We will speak again in the morning," he said.

The three new Bodyguards bowed their heads and followed the girl to their room. After they had left Mako walked up to his father. "What do you think?" he asked.

Akashiya took another sip of his drink. "I trust that they want to protect us," he said. "But I sense they have an ulterior motive for doing so." He looked at his son. "They want something."

A knock came from the door. "Yes," said Mako.

The door opened and one of his guards walked in sporting a recently received black eye. "My Lord," he said. "A messenger from the Kuchiki clan has arrived. He requests a moment of your time."

Akashiya and Mako exchanged surprised looks. "Do you think he knows?" asked Mako.

Akashiya didn't reply to his son. "Send him in."

The guard bowed and stepped to the side and allowed the messenger inside. The man bowed once then handed a letter sealed with the Kuchiki family crest on it. He then bowed again and left the room. Akashiya opened the letter and began to read. As he did so a slow smile crept to his face. "What does it say?" asked Mako.

"It would seem that Byakuya would like to have a meeting with us tomorrow," he replied. "It would seem he wishes to discuss something of vital importance to the future of our two clans."

"He must suspect something," said Mako swatting at a fly. "Why else would he call this meeting?"

Akashiya stroked his chin. "We will find out tomorrow," he said smiling to himself. "I suspect it will be very interesting."

Little to either man's knowledge, every word they had spoken had been heard by their new bodyguards. Delta smiled as Beta landed the fly on the top of a shelf. "Nice flying," he said. "I want that recording downloaded and sent to the Captain."

Beta nodded and began to type in the commands. Zeta walked over with her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't like this," she said. "We know he wants to assassinate Captain Kuchiki so why not just kill him and Mako."

"We're not assassins," said Delta. "The Captain ordered us to gather information to use when we bring Akashiya to trial."

Zeta sighed and sat down on a bed and began to pout. "This is no fun," she said.

Delta opened his mouth to speak when Beta piped up. "That's good," said Beta in a deep voice.

"How so?" asked Zeta.

"If a mission is boring then everything is going according to plan," he said. "If things got exciting, then our plan has failed and we are in trouble."

"Don't worry about that," said Delta patting Beta on the back. "We will not fail."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Drinks at Captain's Expense.

The sound of clanking glasses, liquid pouring, and the smell of food being cooked signaled that business was doing great. A waitress walked to a private room in the back and sat down two bottles of sake, a platter of food, and retrieved all of the empty bottles and plates that had been set in a pile. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the doors that lead to a private room that was being used by some of their regulars. So far they had gone through about five bottles of sake and she knew from experience that several more would be consumed that night, and based on the reason they were celebrating she knew that she would be going to re-supply the tavern's stock in the morning, especially since Matsumoto Rangiku was one of the people drinking. Knocking on the door she slid it open and sat the food and drinks on a table then bowed and left shutting the door behind her.

"So Renji how does it feel to be a captain?" asked Matsumoto taking a drink from her glass.

Renji smiled. "It's great," he said sarcastically. "I had barely put on the haroi before a stack of paper work was thrown in my face." He took another drink. "I thought being a Lieutenant was hard, but man I don't know how Captain Kuchiki keeps from going nuts."

"I know what you mean Renji," said Ikkaku. "5th squad has been without a Captain and a Lieutenant for so long their pile is a mile high."

"Poor Ikkaku," said Yumichika daintily taking a sip. "I'm sure you will find a good Lieutenant to dump all the paper work on while you sleep."

Ikkaku gave his friend a wicked looking grin. "I don't need to look far," he said. "General Yamamoto said I could pick anyone I wanted to be my Lieutenant, so guess who just got promoted, _Lieutenant _Yumichika."

Yumichika spit out his sake, which hit Hisagi in the face. "Hey watch it," said Hisagi wiping his face off with a cloth. Matsumoto and Renji laughed at the surprised look that Yumichika was giving them.

"I don't want to be a Lieutenant," said Yumichika said shaking his head vigorously. "I refuse to do it."

"Why not?" asked Matsumoto holding up her hand and raising her fingers to tick them off one by one. "You get better pay, more time off, and you don't have to share a room with anyone."

Yumichika made an ugly face. "That's all well and good," said Yumichika. "But a Lieutenant's emblem is so ugly and as such would bring my own beauty down some."

Hisagi shook his head. "Get over yourself already," he said. "All that concern for you girly looks is going to get you killed someday."

Yumichika and Hisagi started to argue while Rangiku shook her head and looked back at Ikkaku. "What I want to know is how the Captain General convinced you to become a captain?" she asked looking at Ikkaku. "You've always said that you would never take the promotion so you could stay with Captain Zaraki."

Yumichika stopped his argument with Hisagi and looked at his friend. "I'm curious also on what they did to convince you," he said brushing his hair behind his ear. "It has always been your dream to die fighting at Captain Zaraki's side against overwhelming odds in glorious battle."

Ikkaku shifted in his seat for a moment. "When General Yamamoto sent for me, he and Captain Zaraki were waiting in the main meeting room," he said. "He explained how we need experienced Captains that could train the new replacements, and that my background with the 11th Division was just what they needed." He paused for a moment and took a drink of sake. "At first I refused and told him that I wanted to serve with and die under the Command of Captain Zaraki."

"That's what you told me when I told you that you should be a captain," said Renji.

Ikkaku smacked Renji in the back of the head. "Don't interrupt the story!"

Renji rubbed the back of his head and glared at Ikkaku. "Fool I was just telling the others that I had heard you say that already."

"If I need your help telling the story I'll ask for it," replied Ikkaku. Renji mumbled something under his breath, which Ikkaku ignored. "Anyway, after I said that Captain Zaraki called me and idiot and said that if I wanted to die under his command do it as a Captain on one of the Captain level missions where the danger is much higher." Ikkaku grinned. "I liked the idea of going on more dangerous missions, so I accepted."

"That's it?" asked Hisagi. "You took the promotion just so you could be in bigger fights?"

Yumichika raised his feathered eyebrow. "You're surprised by that?" he asked. "You should know by now Ikkaku is just as bloodthirsty as the Captain."

Ikkaku smiled. "It also was a plus that they said that we could have a new weekly 5th Division vs 11th Division training fights," he said. "I told Captain Zaraki that if he was going to make me be a Captain that I was going to make my division stronger than his and they only way to do that is to fight the 11th Division constantly until we are stronger than they are."

For a moment Matsumoto, Hisagi, Renji, and Yumichika had visions of death and destruction running rampant as the two division clashed. "I hope Isane and Captain Unohana stocked up on extra bandages," said Hisagi with a shudder trying to think of a good hiding place for the inevitable clash.

Ikkaku smiled at his friend and slapped him on the back. "Since my new Division didn't have a Lieutenant," said Ikkaku. "Yamamoto let me pick anyone I wanted that was 3rd seat or lower so I decided to bring the one guy in the entire 11th who knew how to do paper work."

"So in other words I do all the work and you sit around and do nothing," said Yumichika.

Ikkaku grinned and drank another glass of sake. "Is it any different from what you do now?" he asked. "At least now you get better pay."

Yumichika gave him a dirty look. "That makes me feel so much better," he said sarcastically.

Rangiku shook her head and patted Yumichika on the shoulder. "Sorry Yumi," she said. "But the bright side is you and Nanao can start a support group for lazy Captains and overworked Lieutenants."

"That's funny," said Hisagi grinning. "I hear Captain Hitsugaya is in a group for overworked Captains with lazy Lieutenants."

Matsumoto gave him a wide eyed innocent look. "Really?" she said. "Why would he be in something like that?" Hisagi smacked his forehead as the others laughed.

"I feel sorry for Captain Zaraki," said Renji. "He never could do paper work until Yumichika came along. I wonder who is going to do it now."

11th Division Barracks.

Captain Zaraki sneezed on the report that he was writing causing the ink to smear. He looked at the report and a vein popped on his head. Silently he swore that he was going to kill Ikkaku for taking Yumichika with him to the 5th Division. Zaraki was just beginning to realize how much work Yumichika did for the Division and now no one was left who could replace him. So now he and Yachiru were forced to do the paperwork themselves for the first time. "Yachiru I need those copies you were working on," he yelled. "I can't finish this until I have all of yours."

Yachiru skipped into his office carrying a large stack of papers that was twice her size. "I'm all finished Kenny," said the pink haired hellion as she sat the papers on the desk and handed a handful to Zaraki. "Here are the ones I got done first."

Zaraki took the papers from her and looked at them and his face fell. Instead of filling out the report like she was suppose to, she had doodled pictures of various animals, a chibi version of that stuck up Squad 6 Captain, and a request for two tons of sweat buns. Swearing under her breath he looked up at Yachiru. "Yachiru yer not suppose to…." Zaraki looked around and saw that Yachiru had run off leaving him alone with all the reports. Zaraki swore under his breath again. There was no point in going after her to make her do the reports correctly. So he picked up her paperwork and started working on it. "Looks like I'm on my own tonight," said Zaraki to himself. "Maybe I can get someone who knows how to do paper work from one of the other Divisions. I bet that freaking clown has a few guys he can spare." Zaraki was about to start on another report when a hell butterfly came into his office and started to buzz around his head demanding his attention. He swatted at it hitting his desk and causing ink to spill on his reports. Seeing the ink soak into the now ruined reports sent Zaraki over the edge as one by one his reports were ruined. That was the last straw and with a roar he pulled out his zanpakuto and started to slash his desk and the reports into tiny pieces with a maniacal grin on his face as he imagined it was Ikkaku's face. After he was done he looked at the destruction he had created and realized what he had done. All of his reports where nothing more than confetti and that meant he would have start all over again. With his grin still plastered on his face he walked out the door and into the training area where his men were at. Maki-Maki looked up at his Captain and was going to say something to him when he saw the grin on Zaraki's face. None of them were fast enough to escape the coming destruction. Their screams could be heard miles away.

Back at the Tavern.

"Did you hear something?" asked Hisagi cupping a hand to his ear.

Rangiku looked up from the bowl of noodles she was eating and cocked her head to the side. "I don't hear anything."

"I could have sworn I heard screaming," he said. "Think we should check it out?"

"It's just your imagination," said Renji chewing on some food. "Hurry up and eat."

"So Renji," said Matsumoto slowly. "Now that you are a Captain do you think Captain Kuchiki will give you permission to court Rukia?"

Renji started to choke on his food and was starting to turn blue as Hisagi slapped him on the back a few times. After he caught his breath he looked down at his food for a moment. "I haven't gotten around to asking him yet."

Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Hisagi snickered. "Coward," said Ikkaku.

"Yeah, right," said Renji. "I can see it now: Captain Kuchiki I would like permission to marry Rukia… Scatter Senbosakura. Then boom," said Renji closing his hands then opening them fast mimicking an explosion. "Thus ends the life of Renji Abarai."

The other all laughed at him. "At least you would die a beautiful death Renji," said Yumichika. "All those pink petals will go great with your red hair."

"And I could write your obituary in the paper," said Hisagi grinning. "Captain Renji Abarai killed by Captain Byakuya Kuchiki for asking out Rukia." Everyone burst out in laughter, as Renji turned red from embarrassment.

Renji's eyes narrowed. "You do know if I die you get stuck doing all the paperwork by yourself again Hisagi," said Renji.

Hisagi's eyes widened at the thought of having to tackle the three story tall piles of paper by himself. "Not again," he muttered looking at Renji and grabbing him by the shirt to shake him. "I swear if you get killed and leave me with all that paperwork again I'll have Captain Kurotsuchi clone you so I can kill you again."

The others laughed again. Matsumoto smiled back at Renji. "Well you had better hurry up and ask or someone else might get her before you."

"Keh," said Renji. "There isn't anyone in all of Soul Society who would be stupid enough to do that."

Matsumoto clear blue eyes narrowed mischievously. "Who said Soul Society?"

Renji thought for a moment then his eyes widened to the size of plates. "You don't think Ichigo would…."

"Well she does live in the same house as Ichigo so he gets to spend more time with her than you do."

"But Captain Kuchiki would never allow anything to happen between the two of them," said Renji. "He would kill Ichigo before he would let him near Rukia like that."

"Captain Kuchiki doesn't live in the real world so how exactly would he stop anything from happening?" asked Matsumoto. "For all we know Ichigo could be holding her in his arms right now."

While this was going on the other three were trying as hard as they could not to burst out into laughter. "Yeah," said Ikkaku trying to hold back a snicker. "For all you know Ichigo could be ravishing her right now and…." Before he could finish his sentence Renji was up and making a run for the door. Yumichika jumped up and grabbed him and forced him to sit down. "Let me go I have to go save Rukia," yelled Renji. Yumichika was having trouble holding him so Hisagi got up to help him.

Matsumoto was laughing so hard that tears started to come to her eyes. "Renji I was kidding now calm down."

Renji turned and gave her an incredulous look. "Calm down? Ichigo could be…"

"This is Ichigo were talking about," said Matsumoto. "The same Ichigo who refuses to look at Yoruichi when she is naked."

Renji stopped struggling and remembered when Yoruichi told them about the time she had shown Ichigo her true form and how he turned his head in embarrassment and also the time Rangiku had tried to bribe him to let her stay at his house by showing off her boobs. "You're right," said Renji. "Heh, I doubt he would know what to do if anything happened. He is so innocent and clueless it's almost sad that they want him to be a Captain."

Yumichika, Hisagi, and Rangiku exchanged surprised looks. "They plan on making Ichigo a Captain," said Rangiku. "But he is still alive."

Renji shrugged his shoulders. "They don't seem to care," he said. "All I know is that after the meeting and our promotions we discussed the Third Squad Captain's chair and it was Captain Ukitake's idea to offer Ichigo the job after his final year at school."

"So Ukitake recommended him what about the other five?" asked Hisagi.

"After Ukitake said that, I and Ikkaku here seconded it," said Renji. "Zaraki was thrilled because it would give him a way to fight Ichigo whenever he wanted; Captain Kyoraku did because Ukitake had been the one to recommend it, and Captain Hitsugaya."

"And here I though Shiro-chan hated Ichigo," said Rangiku. "I guess he's just trying to look good for Ichigo's sister." She whispered under her breath.

"What about the last three?" asked Hisagi. "They still needed three more Captains to vote."

"Captain Unohana, Captain Komamura, and Captain Soi Fon," said Ikkaku. "They gave their support."

"So Ichigo is going to be a Captain," said Rangiku.

"General Yamamoto still has the last word," said Renji. "He dismissed us until he reached a decision, but odds are the old man is going to say yes."

"I'm sure he will," Rangiku. "He beat Aizen and saved all of Soul Society. Having him as a Captain only makes sense."

"True, but then again Byakuya did stay behind at the General's request so what ever those two are talking about…." Renji trailed off as a knock came at the door and the waitress came in.

"Did you find everything ok?" she asked.

"Yes we did," said Rangiku.

"That's great," she said smiling. "Here is you bill please see us again soon."

The waitress left and Rangiku looked at the bill folded it and passed it to Ikkaku. "You and Renji are paying," she said getting up and pushing Hisagi and Yumichika towards the door.

"Why us?" asked Ikkaku starting to unfold the bill.

"Because you are Captains and you get paid more than we do," said Rangiku. She turned around and smiled throwing a peace sign at them. "See you later and thanks for the meal."

The three Lieutenants ran out the door as Ikkaku unfolded the paper and his jaw dropped. "You have got to be kidding me," he said. "It cost this much."

Renji took the bill from him and looked at it and then slammed his head into the table. "There goes my paycheck for the week," he said taking a closer look at it. He read the list of food and drinks they bought and bother of them saw the same thing. Most of it was Rangiku's food.

"**Matsumoto**!" they both yelled.

* * *

><p>Byakuya read the letter for the third time. The council of elders had given him their complete support in his plan with the Akashiya plan. A few of them even had the gall to tell him it was about time he started acting like a true head of the Kuchiki clan. The fools. They did not even begin to understand his motivations behind his decision. He had hoped to avoid this, but Rukia's promotion had spurred him on this course. He had argued (in private of course) with the Captain-General after the Captains meeting trying to get him to reverse his decision on Rukia's promotion but to no avail. All of his reasoning was rejected and countered in what Byakuya could only guess was a previously prepared speech. The old man had done his homework. Now all that was left to Byakuya to keep his sister out of harm's way was to go to the final extreme. He was going to do the unthinkable and go over Captain-General Yamamoto's head.<p>

A knock on the door came and his messenger opened it up and bowed. "My Lord it is done," he said.

Byakuya nodded his head and dismissed the messenger. Akashiya would accept his invitation and would accept his offer. Now all he had to do was inform Rukia of what was about to come and make sure that the Ryoka did not interfere with his plan. First he wrote a letter to the Captain-General informing him on what was about to happen and put it in his desk to be delivered upon Akashiya's acceptance. Once done he took out another piece of paper and began writing a letter that he knew would cause Rukia pain, but it was for her own good and one day she would see that.

"Dear Rukia,…"

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so fare. If you want to jump ahead and see what happens next you can look at the original story, but this one will add things that I missed in the last one. Be sure to check out my other stories for Bleach and Avatar: The Last Airbender and please Review them. I really love Reviews because they tell me if I'm doing a good job or not. I hope to have a Teen Titans story out soon also so be on the lookout for it. Until next time…<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N I don't own Bleach.

Chapter 4: Silent Confessions.

Ichigo let out a silent groan of pain as Rukia's elbow smashed into the back of his head. "I'm not going to say it again Kurosaki Ichigo," yelled Rukia. "Put me down now or I'm going to kill you."

Sighing, Ichigo put Rukia down in front of him then crossed his arms. "There are you happy now midget?"

Rukia smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress the pulled back her leg and kicked Ichigo right in the shin. Rukia smiled as she heard the impact of her foot to Ichigo's leg and basked in the image of Ichigo dropping to the ground and grabbing his shin biting back the pain in his leg. "Now I'm happy," said Rukia.

"What did you do that for midget," said Ichigo through gritted teeth getting up from the ground.

"That's what you get for carrying me like that," said Rukia. "I'm not a gym bag you can sling around on your shoulders."

"What was I suppose to do?" asked Ichigo. "You didn't seem in the mood to go anywhere."

"You could have asked if I wanted to go," said Rukia.

"I did ask remember?" he said.

"You could have asked _nicely_," said Rukia crossing her arms. "When a lady gets asked out she expects the man to ask nicely. Not…(in a deep voice) hey get up we're going out somewhere."

"And you could have just come with me without making a scene," said Ichigo. "You should have gotten up and said, (Ichigo clasped his hands together and in a girly voice) Oh Ichigo I'm so glad you asked me."

Rukia glared at him. "I would have if you had come in and said in a nice and sincere voice; Rukia, would you go see a movie with me, like you were supposed to."

"What made you think I was going to do that?" asked Ichigo.

Rukia just glared at him for a moment then turned her head. "Forget about it," said Rukia. "I guess you don't understand." Ichigo was about to reply when a growl came from his stomach. "That's what you get for skipping breakfast, Ichigo," said Rukia with a smile.

"I didn't skip breakfast," said Ichigo. "Some undersized midget stole it."

Rukia stuck out her tongue and started to walk away. "Come on," she said without looking back. "Let's get something to eat." Ichigo looked at her strangely as she walked off then with a mental shrug started to walk after her.

Rukia glanced at Ichigo as the two of the walked along the sidewalk towards the area where most of the restaurants were located. She didn't know when it happened or how it happened, but somewhere along the line she had fallen in love with Ichigo. The problem with this was that she had no way to tell him that she loved him without making a total fool out of herself. The only way she felt to tell him that she loved him without hurting her pride, and as a member of the Kuchiki Clan her pride was considerable, she had to get him to tell her that he loved her. At first she had wanted to ask Orihime, but even though she had started to date Ishida, she still hadn't completely gotten over Ichigo yet so asking her would be awkward. She did not want to tell any of her friends in the Shinigami Women's Association, because it would not take long for word to get out via Rangiku's over sized mouth to get all across the Soul Society and to the ears of her brother. That would really make him happy to the point that he would come to the real world to congragulate Ichigo… as he used Senbonzakura to gut him. With all those options closed off she thought that she would be on her own on this, but help had come in the most unlikely form of Isshin Kurosaki. Rukia smiled to herself at his reaction when she had blurted out that she was in love with his son. She didn't remember the details clearly, but when she said that she was in love with Ichigo, he wrapped her up in a killer of a bear hug then he immediately went to the life-sized picture of his wife and started yelling about how a girl had fallen for his stupid idiot of a son and that despite knowing he was an idiot still liked him and now he may have a shot at being a proud grandfather. After she finally gotten him calmed down she told him of her dilemma. Isshin in an abnormally serious tone told her not to worry he would take care of everything. Rukia stole another glance at Ichigo and knew that Isshin's efforts had resulted in the date she was on right now.

"Hey midget where do you want to eat?" asked Ichigo.

Rukia snapped out of her reverie and looked around at the various restaurants and thought about it for a second. "How about that hamburger place?" said Rukia pointing at the nearby McDonalds. "The food is really good."

"Sounds good," said Ichigo. The two of them walked in and got in line. Rukia was looking at the menu when something caught her eye. It was a display case that was advertising the toys that came with the happy meals. Inside much to Rukia's delight were five different kinds of Chappy the Rabbit toys.

"Ichigo, I want five happy meals," said Rukia pressing her face to the toy case.

Ichigo gave her a questioning look "Why do you want five happy meals?" Rukia smiled and pointed at the display case. Ichigo saw the toys in the case and shook his head. "No way I'm I going to buy you five happy meals just so you can get that stupid rabbit toy."

Rukia punched him in the arm. "Chappy is not stupid," she said. "He is a cultural Icon for the people of the world to love forever."

"I'm still not going to buy you five happy meals," said Ichigo rubbing his arm.

Rukia crossed her arms and gave him a sinister smile. "That's okay Ichigo. I'll just go home right now and tell your dad that you left me to go hang out with Chad, Ishida, and Renji. I'm sure he will understand that his son would rather stick around a bunch of _guys _instead of a pretty girl."

Ichigo clinched his fist and was going to argue with her when their turn came up. "Welcome to McDonalds can I take your order?" asked the cashier.

Rukia pulled out a cell phone and hit Isshin's number for speed dial and waved the phone just out of Ichigo's reach. Ichigo let out a sigh. "Five happy meals please," said Ichigo. Rukia cleared her throat. "And could you make sure that all the toys are different?" asked Ichigo rolling his eyes. The cashier nodded and went back to tell the person making the food as Ichigo looked at Rukia. "I'm only doing this because of what you said," he told her.

"Don't worry Ichigo," said Rukia snapping her phone shut. "I won't tell your dad that you ran off with the guys."

Ichigo gave her a smile as he picked up the tray of food. "Who said anything about the guys," he said as he walked off to find a table. "I'm doing this because of the second thing you said." Rukia stood there thinking until it came to her. She blushed slightly and thought _He just said I was pretty_. "Oi midget hurry up before it gets cold," yelled Ichigo. A vein popped on Rukia's head as she stomped over to him punched him in the ribs. Rukia sat down and began to eat her food as Ichigo rubbed his side. "What was that for?" said Ichigo.

"You're an idiot," said Rukia as she pulled out one of the toys and unwrapped it from the plastic bag. "Oh and Ichigo…"

Ichigo looked up from his food. "Yeah?"

Rukia leaned over the table and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks." Rukia went back to her Chappy toy as Ichigo got a confused look on his face that slowly settled into a smile.

Ichigo watched as Rukia started to arrange her new Chappy toys in a row from favorite to least favorite for the fifth time. He still did not understand when or how it happened, but somehow he had fallen in love with Rukia Kuchiki. He had tried to deny his feelings for her and for a while it had worked. The person that made him accept his feelings for Rukia had been of all people Orihime. It was after the War and it was a conversation that Ichigo knew was coming. He had practiced what he was going to say for a while. He knew she loved him but he didn't share those feelings and he didn't want to hurt her. So when the time came Ichigo was ready for everything except what happened.

* * *

><p><strong>Hueco Mundo 3 days after the War.<strong>

Ichigo saw her walking to him and readied himself for what he knew he had to do. "Ichigo I want to tell you something," said Orihime. "I love you."

Ichigo let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Orihime, I'm sorry but…" started Ichigo.

Orihime held up a hand to stop him. "Let me finish. I love you and I always will," she said. "But I've come to realize that I love you as a friend not as a lover."

Ichigo gave her a surprised look. "What changed?" asked Ichigo.

Orihime looked over at Ishida who was talking to Chad. "Ishida," she answered. "I fell in love with him."

"Ishida?" said Ichigo looking over at the Quincy. "How did that happen?"

"It just happened," said Orihime shrugging. "Maybe tiny robots planted the idea in my head while I was sleeping." She gave him a knowing smile. "Besides, I know you love Rukia instead of me."

"What makes you say that?" asked Ichigo defensively.

Orihime smiled and shook her head. "The way you get depressed when she is gone and how you smile when she comes back. The way you look whenever she's around, and how you go nuts whenever Renji comes around her," she said ticking off the reasons with her fingers. "It was pretty obvious to just about everyone except you and Renji."

"I guess I do love her," admitted Ichigo glancing over at Rukia. "I just haven't found a way to tell her."

Orihime gave Ichigo a hug then smiled at him. "Then you better find a way to tell her," she said winking. "Before I ask your father to give you a hand."

* * *

><p>Ichigo snapped out of his daydream when the clicking from Rukia messing with the toys became louder. He waited for a second hoping that she would stop, but the clicking continued. <em>'I love you Rukia,'<em> thought Ichigo. _'But right now you are really being irritating.' _

"Will you cut that out already," said Ichigo. "That is really getting annoying."

Rukia looked up from her toys. "Be quiet, Ichigo. I'm trying to decide which one I like the most and put them in their proper order."

"Decide later, we have to get to the movies," said Ichigo looking at his watch. "We may be too late as it is."

Rukia sighed and put all the toys in a plastic bag given to her by the cashier as Ichigo threw away the trash. The movie theater was just a few blocks down inside the mall. They got in line and as Rukia messed with one of the Chappy toys Ichigo looked at the list of movies that were playing. As he was looking at the list of movies, Ichigo noticed a poster off to the side that read; Now Playing, _The Adventures of Chappy and Friends._

'_Oh no,'_ thought Ichigo. _'If Rukia sees that…'_

Just then Rukia's head glance over the direction Ichigo was looking. Her eyes widened when she saw her beloved Chappy in theaters. "Ichigo, I don't believe it," said Rukia pointing at the poster like an excited child. "It's a Chappy movie. We have to go see it."

Ichigo crossed his arms and shook his head. "No way am I going to see a Chappy movie," said Ichigo firmly. "I would rather spit in Kenpachi's eye and kiss Renji than go see a movie about that stupid rabbit."

Rukia gave Ichigo a smirk then as loud as she could, started to wail. "It's okay Ichigo," she said faking tears. "I understand if you don't want to take your poor girlfriend to see a movie she likes after I did all those things for you yesterday." Ichigo tried to calm her down, but Rukia wouldn't listen and several people started to stare at them. "All I did was clean your room, do your laundry, walk your dog, and cook dinner."

Ichigo tried to ignore the nasty looks several of the female customers where giving him as walked up to the ticket counter. "Two tickets to the Chappy movie." The guy at the ticket counter snickered as he handed the two tickets to Ichigo. Ichigo banged his fist on the glass in front of the guy causing him to jump back a little in his seat.

"Hurry up Ichigo," said Rukia. "All of the good seats will be taken if we don't hurry up." She grabbed his arm and started to pull him towards the theater entrance.

"Trust me Rukia," said Ichigo. "No one is going to watch this stupid movie."

Rukia turned around and kicked Ichigo in the shin. "For the last time Chappy is not stupid."

Rukia grabbed a limping Ichigo and lead him into the theater. Ichigo looked around and saw only a handful of people, mostly small children, sitting down. They sat down in the middle of the theater.

"I'm going to go get some drinks and popcorn," said Ichigo. "If i'm going to be forced to watch this, I might as well get some snacks. I'll be right back."

Rukia arched an eyebrow. "Ok, but if you try to run, I'll hunt you down and make you watch this with me twice in a row," she warned. "And get me a box of Kit Kats also."

Ichigo grunted and got up and went to go get the food. When he got back in, he saw someone talking to Rukia as he got closer he could hear what he was saying.

"So how about baby," said the guy. "You wanna ditch this kiddy flick and go somewhere more private and have a little fun?"

"I'm with someone else right now," said Rukia trying to ignore the guy. "And unless you want him to rip your arms off I suggest that you leave." The guy didn't get the hint, and grabbed Rukia's arm. It was at that point Ichigo took one of the drinks and threw it at the guy hitting him in the back of the head. He wiped the drink off as turned around and saw Ichigo coming at him.

"You're going to regret that punk," said the guy. "No one does that to Ken Tamaki and gets away without getting a good beating."

"Guess I'm no one then," said Ichigo cracking his knuckles. "Now apologize to my girlfriend before I make up my mind on which bone to break in your body."

Ken raised his fists and was about to throw a punch when at that moment a rather large usher came into the theater. "What's going on here?" he demanded. "I have complaints of two idiots starting a fight."

"Nothing," said Ken dropping his hands to his side. "Just having us a friendly chat."

The usher didn't look convinced. "We both know that's a lie," he said. "We have kids in this movie so whatever your problem is take it outside or sit down and watch the movie before I throw both of you out and ban you from coming here for the rest of the year."

Ken walked out and as he passed Ichigo he whispered. "This isn't over," he said. "I'll be waiting." Ken left with the Usher following close behind him.

Ichigo just scowled at him and he sat down next to Rukia. "I should have hit him," he said.

"If you had done that you would have gotten us kicked out and we would have missed the movie," said Rukia.

Ichigo groaned and smacked himself in the head. "If I had known that I would have," he said. Ichigo got up. "Maybe I can still jump him."

Rukia pulled him down and gave him a deadly look "Don't even think about it."

Ichigo was about to reply when the lights dimmed and the previews started. Rukia's eyes immediately went to the screen. Ichigo settled himself into the seat and watched as he went head first into his own personal hell, all because he couldn't say no to the midget.

_Go off,_ thought Ichigo as he held his shinigami badge. _Go off, Go off, __**Go off**__**!**_The movie was barely twenty minutes old and already Ichigo was in pain. He stared at his Shinigami Badge and tried to will it to go off, but no matter what it never so much as beeped. Under normal circumstances it would have gone off about four times already. Ichigo couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

The Park.

Isshin slashed through a hollow before it had even a chance to look around. "I will not allow any hollow to ruin my son's chances to score," he yelled waiving his sword in the air.

Ichigo sighed and let go of the badge and started to drum his fingers on the armrest of his seat. He tried not to fall asleep out of fear of what Rukia might do to him if he did. Rukia glanced at Ichigo and saw his discomfort. She wouldn't admit it to him, but it was rather sweat that he was doing his best to sit through a movie he thought was boring just to make her happy. He may not always realize it, but Ichigo always put others first. It was one of the things that Rukia found so attractive about him. _Wait,_ she thought. _Did he just call me his girlfriend?_ She looked back at Ichigo as he sat there fidgeting in his seat and snaked her hand out to his. Ichigo felt a hand slip into his and fingers interlock with his. He turned his head and to his surprise saw Rukia smiling at him. She leaned over, kissed him on the cheek, and put her head on his shoulder and continued to watch the movie. Ichigo felt a calmness come over him and a warmness creep into his chest. Happy Ichigo settled down and watched as Chappy and his friends got out of another easily escapable situation. _'I really hate that stupid Rabbit,' thought Ichigo happily._

Thanks for reading and please Review. I hope to have the next chapter out soon so keep on the lookout and check out my other stories and review them if you would. Thanks for the support.


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